Broadview at Purchase College: Senior housing for lifelong learners

Helu Wang, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·3 min read

PURCHASE − The tri-state region's first retirement community on a college or university campus has opened at Purchase College after years of planning and delays.

The high-end senior housing community, called Broadview, aims to promote lifelong learning and multigenerational connections among retirees, faculty and students.

The 220-unit project, which opened in December, was designed for people ages 62 and older and takes up 40 acres of the 500-acre campus. It includes apartment homes, villas, a clubhouse, a learning center and a health care center.

Residents can take college classes and have access to school facilities, as well as engage with students and faculty through a mentorship program.

A view of the West Apartment Homes at the Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College complex in Purchase, photographed Nov. 15, 2023.
A view of the West Apartment Homes at the Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College complex in Purchase, photographed Nov. 15, 2023.

The development is operated independently from Purchase College, but the college gains from the arrangement. Broadview has a 70-year lease and pays an annual lease of up to $2 million to the college. Of that lease money, 75% will go toward student scholarships, with 25% going toward faculty recruitment.

Broadview is owned by Purchase Senior Learning Community, a nonprofit set up by the college. Residents pay a one-time entry fee ranging from $262,000 to $2.2 million and monthly fees from $3,500 to $11,000.

Ashley Wade, executive director at Broadview, said having seniors on campus will benefit both the retirees who are lifelong learners and the students and faculty.

“The college has been such a collaborative partner with innovation about ways where you can leverage the resources, experiences and wisdom of older adults and put it in a synergistic way with emerging new professionals,” she said. “I have long been a believer that community living for older adults is a wonderful solution. It really combats one of the leading problems with aging, which is isolation.”

A view of a room in the Learning Center under construction at the Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College complex in Purchase, photographed Nov. 15, 2023.
A view of a room in the Learning Center under construction at the Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College complex in Purchase, photographed Nov. 15, 2023.

More: Purchase College retirement housing moves ahead

A long-awaited project

University-based retirement communities have become popular across the nation.

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York system, had planned on building such a community for a decade, knowing it had strong participation in its senior course-auditing program. The college first proposed the plan in 2016 on a section of mostly weedy land that was formerly used as a dump for construction debris.

It took years before state legislation was passed allowing a nonprofit senior living project to be built on state-owned land.

The project includes 220 units of one- and two-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom villas, ranging in size from 675 to 2,000 square feet. Residents began moving in early this month, and nearly 90% of the units are filled.

Broadview has seven dining venues and numerous amenities: library, fitness center, swimming pool, movie theater, salon and spa. A 10,000-square-foot space is dedicated as a "Learning Commons", including classrooms, art studios, performance spaces and a cafe.

Broadview also offers health care for residents who are in need of assisted living and memory care.

Broadview pays lease to Purchase College

The property management determines the eligibility of prospective residents based on their financial situations. The regular cost includes a one-time entry fee (90% refundable) and monthly service fees that covers meals, utility, housekeeping, transportations and more.

Ashley Wade, the Executive Director is pictured in the kitchen area of a Hutchinson apartment, in the East Apartment Homes under construction at the Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College complex in Purchase, photographed Nov. 15, 2023.
Ashley Wade, the Executive Director is pictured in the kitchen area of a Hutchinson apartment, in the East Apartment Homes under construction at the Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College complex in Purchase, photographed Nov. 15, 2023.

Twenty percent of the units are offered at what Broadview calls “below market rate,” with an entry fee of $262,000. The annual income threshold to qualify for those one-bedroom units is $82,250 or less for one person and $94,000 or less for a couple.

Mentorship connects residents and students

Broadview is supposed to be more than a senior housing project, but a community that engages retired and emerging professionals.

Steve Shelov, a retired physician who formed a group with other 14 prospective residents, has worked with 41 students from the university's pre-med club since last spring. They offer help on medical licensure examinations, connect students to hospital shadowing programs and share career advice.

Steven Shelov, M.D., right, a retired physician chats with Medha Chandwani, a sophomore and president of the premed club at Purchase College SUNY in the HUB dining room at the school, Nov. 30, 2023. Steven, who will be living in the new Broadview-Senior Living at Purchase College, mentors undergraduates pursing a medical degree.
Steven Shelov, M.D., right, a retired physician chats with Medha Chandwani, a sophomore and president of the premed club at Purchase College SUNY in the HUB dining room at the school, Nov. 30, 2023. Steven, who will be living in the new Broadview-Senior Living at Purchase College, mentors undergraduates pursing a medical degree.

There are plans to form similar clubs for residents who have experience in media and finance.

“It’s a good thing for seniors who want to share their experience with young people who are looking for advice and guidance,” Shelov said. “For me, it’s retiring to something.”

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: SUNY Purchase senior housing connects residents and students on campus